This invention relates to methods and apparatus for supporting articles, and more particularly relates to improved methods and apparatus for supporting articles at adjustable heights.
It is well known to provide for tables and platform structures suspended from above which are adjustable in height, thus providing means for supporting articles at various elevations and for convenient storage of the structures when not in use. However, such devices are generally cumbersome, expensive and not well suited to the storage of small articles. Moreover, because of their size and weight, the mechanisms involved in such devices are frequently quite complicated.
For example, one such apparatus comprises a plurality of telescoping tubular sections suspended from the ceiling, each of which is internally and externally threaded so as to be threadedly received by the next largest section. The smallest section is attached to a table or platform. By rotating the table by means of a large electric motor, the table is made to screw upward to any desired height as the sections telescope into one another. This attempt to provide a convenient, simple method and apparatus for support of articles has obviously serious disadvantages in applications where a simple easy to operate, expensive and portable means is desired for containing small articles at various heights.
Yet another attempt to provide for such containers intended for smaller articles involves the suspension of a vanity case or the like from the ceiling of an automobile by means of a pair of scissor-like "lazy-tongs" which fold up when the case is stored in the ceiling. This device is also subject to certain disadvantages common to such containers, of such a magnitude as to severely limit or destroy their practical value. First, there is no provision for selective one-handed height adjustment of the container. More serious, however, is the inability of the apparatus to self-retract when it is no longer needed.
The present invention relates to an improvement over all such prior attempts to provide a practical variable support container. It will be seen that it would be highly desirable to provide a container for small articles which was easy and inexpensive to assemble, with a minimum of parts, and yet could be easily and reliably positioned and locked at any of numerous desired vertical locations with one hand. For example, in the case of supports for potted plants, it would be desirable to conveniently position the plants at a number of varying heights for watering or for varying sunlight conditions. Moreover, it would be desirable to provide a novel technique for accomplishing the positioning, for retrieval of cooking spices stored in the container, for example, wherein one hand remains free at all times to perform cooking operations. Furthermore, it would also be highly desirable to provide for a maximum extension and retraction of the container as well as capability for automatic retraction of the container after use.
It will be readily apparent from a consideration of the teachings hereinafter provided, that the disadvantages of other known variable support containers are overcome with the present invention, and a simplified and commercially acceptable variable support container means is herein provided with capabilities exceeding that of present supported containers.